Anyone else feed an all RAW diet?

[.sarah]

Example of what you feed them and how much? I've always been interested in feeding my dogs an all natural diet but I'm not really sure I can afford it. Do you find it cheaper or more expensive?

I feed a lot of variety. Chicken, turkey, pork, beef, lamb, rabbit (but not to Mandy, she hates rabbit ), etc.

Chicken - Usually I buy chicken quarters, chicken backs, and chicken necks, sometimes legs but usually the quarters are more of a bargain so I stick to those. Buck is currently on chicken legs though simply because I like to feed him twice a day since his stomach is small and a quarter is a meal for a day. I usually avoid wings because there is not enough meat on them, and for large dogs they can be a choking hazzard. However I bought some whole chickens the other day and Buck got the wings since he is still small and still a very slooooow and careful eater.

Beef - Most of the beef I buy is boneless, because thier bones are so hard and usually aren't consumed by dogs (however Nova and Mandy will eat them if given enough time, it's funny Luka doesn't since she's my gulper). I give beef ribs as a recreational RMB (raw meaty bone), they take a long time to eat. If I could find them in a rack I would feed them as a meal, but I haven't had such luck yet. I feed beef neck bones to the dogs the other day and they were another recreational bone but these were a bit thinner so the girls managed to eat most of it. Buck had a hard time even getting the meat off so I thawed some boneless for him for tomorrow.

Pork - I give mostly pork neck bones, along with some boneless meat (of any kind) because the necks I find tend to be bony. My mom found some with a good deal of meat on them at Albertsons last week, and I have those in the freezer. I do have some pigs feet (hooves off) that I'll probably feed soon. Pork bones are incredibly soft. I like to feel the marrow of the bones (if it's visible) in any bones I feed, mostly out of curiosity (I love anatomy ) but also to make sure that they can eat it safely.

Turkey - I mostly feed turkey necks and drumsticks. They don't get much turkey because chicken is cheaper and poultry shouldn't be too much of a staple in their diet (wolves feed mostly on hooved animals).

Lamb - Fed in moderation because it is really expensive.

Rabbit - I buy them whole for the Labbies (Mandy doesn't like it very much). It's enough food for over a day so they get a few light meals after they have a rabbit as I don't like to take away food I've already put down for them, and I don't want to cut it in half. Also fed in moderation because of the price.

Organs - Mostly I use chicken liver, chicken gizzards, and beef liver. When I buy chickens whole they include the heart as well, but I have had a really tough time finding heart of any animal. I'd like to feed more organ variety but this is all I've found so far. There is another butcher here that I haven't visited though.

Anything else - feed anything you can find! If you're worried about bones then just buy it boneless, or you can always cut the meat off or smash the bones. Some people with small dogs, cats, and other small animals (hens, ferrets, etc.) feed whole rats even!

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The ratios for raw feeding is supposed to be something like 10-15% bone, 5-10% organ meat and 80% meat. That is what overwhelmed me at first ... I was like, math while feeding my dogs? No way! You're also supposed to feed 2-3% of their body weight. I spent the first few days with a pen and paper and a scale making sure everything was perfect. I then went to the yahoo group and read through some posts and saw that this is just a guideline, it doesn't have to be perfect! You can eventually look at a piece of meat and say "this is exactly Mandy's portion" and you also just start looking at the cut and saying, "this is a very bony meal so the next meal should be boneless".

I also don't worry about variety on a daily basis. If I decide to thaw out a huge bag of chicken quarters (which is thawing now actually) then they will eat that for a few days. The next time around I just thaw something different. I used to thaw 3-4 meats at a time and feed a variety for every meal, but it's not neccessary. You just need to worry about variety over time, not day by day.

So far the raw has been cheaper than kibble! I just stick to stuff under .99/pound. Anything over that is skipped over until a sale comes up. If it's a cut that is always expensive (rabbit, lamb, fish) then I will buy it once a month, twice max.

[Sevaede]

I feed a lot of variety. Chicken, turkey, pork, beef, lamb, rabbit (but not to Mandy, she hates rabbit ), etc.

Chicken - Usually I buy chicken quarters, chicken backs, and chicken necks, sometimes legs but usually the quarters are more of a bargain so I stick to those. Buck is currently on chicken legs though simply because I like to feed him twice a day since his stomach is small and a quarter is a meal for a day. I usually avoid wings because there is not enough meat on them, and for large dogs they can be a choking hazzard. However I bought some whole chickens the other day and Buck got the wings since he is still small and still a very slooooow and careful eater.

Beef - Most of the beef I buy is boneless, because thier bones are so hard and usually aren't consumed by dogs (however Nova and Mandy will eat them if given enough time, it's funny Luka doesn't since she's my gulper). I give beef ribs as a recreational RMB (raw meaty bone), they take a long time to eat. If I could find them in a rack I would feed them as a meal, but I haven't had such luck yet. I feed beef neck bones to the dogs the other day and they were another recreational bone but these were a bit thinner so the girls managed to eat most of it. Buck had a hard time even getting the meat off so I thawed some boneless for him for tomorrow.

Pork - I give mostly pork neck bones, along with some boneless meat (of any kind) because the necks I find tend to be bony. My mom found some with a good deal of meat on them at Albertsons last week, and I have those in the freezer. I do have some pigs feet (hooves off) that I'll probably feed soon. Pork bones are incredibly soft. I like to feel the marrow of the bones (if it's visible) in any bones I feed, mostly out of curiosity (I love anatomy ) but also to make sure that they can eat it safely.

Turkey - I mostly feed turkey necks and drumsticks. They don't get much turkey because chicken is cheaper and poultry shouldn't be too much of a staple in their diet (wolves feed mostly on hooved animals).

Lamb - Fed in moderation because it is really expensive.

Rabbit - I buy them whole for the Labbies (Mandy doesn't like it very much). It's enough food for over a day so they get a few light meals after they have a rabbit as I don't like to take away food I've already put down for them, and I don't want to cut it in half. Also fed in moderation because of the price.

Organs - Mostly I use chicken liver, chicken gizzards, and beef liver. When I buy chickens whole they include the heart as well, but I have had a really tough time finding heart of any animal. I'd like to feed more organ variety but this is all I've found so far. There is another butcher here that I haven't visited though.

Anything else - feed anything you can find! If you're worried about bones then just buy it boneless, or you can always cut the meat off or smash the bones. Some people with small dogs, cats, and other small animals (hens, ferrets, etc.) feed whole rats even!

------------------------------------

The ratios for raw feeding is supposed to be something like 10-15% bone, 5-10% organ meat and 80% meat. That is what overwhelmed me at first ... I was like, math while feeding my dogs? No way! You're also supposed to feed 2-3% of their body weight. I spent the first few days with a pen and paper and a scale making sure everything was perfect. I then went to the yahoo group and read through some posts and saw that this is just a guideline, it doesn't have to be perfect! You can eventually look at a piece of meat and say "this is exactly Mandy's portion" and you also just start looking at the cut and saying, "this is a very bony meal so the next meal should be boneless".

I also don't worry about variety on a daily basis. If I decide to thaw out a huge bag of chicken quarters (which is thawing now actually) then they will eat that for a few days. The next time around I just thaw something different. I used to thaw 3-4 meats at a time and feed a variety for every meal, but it's not neccessary. You just need to worry about variety over time, not day by day.

So far the raw has been cheaper than kibble! I just stick to stuff under .99/pound. Anything over that is skipped over until a sale comes up. If it's a cut that is always expensive (rabbit, lamb, fish) then I will buy it once a month, twice max.

This is going to sound stupid but do you cook it or is it literally raw? If so, how do you cook it?

[.sarah]

This is going to sound stupid but do you cook it or is it literally raw? If so, how do you cook it?

Nope, it's completely and totally raw!

[bckrazy]

Rhiannon, I have the same problems with Gonzo that you have with Clover! He was fed less than 1 cup of Evo a day with pureed vegetables, and his weight still jumped around, always 3-5 lbs overweight... and as you know he needs to be at his optimum weight for Flyball! He's already lost 1 lb from eating raw, and I'm feeding him WAY more food and he seems fuller than he did with so little kibble. He also has a lot more energy, noticably. We started Flyball a couple weeks ago and everyone commented on how he has a lot more stamina and looks trimmer ;0). I'm still really nervous to wean him off of all kibble completely!

Sarah, I read it was 50-60% RMB's and more like 10% meat? Ahh, atleast that's what I'm doing. I guess there are a ton of different ways to feed it. It's been really hard with pre-prepared raw and RMB's, because I have to include how much of the pre-prepared is ground bone and veggies and meat yeah, but it's worth it!

[Pembroke_Corgi]

This is quite an interesting thread, I've been following it, and I wanted to ask a few questions to anyone who can answer.

I would like to feed my dogs a homemade diet, but I'm unsure about having all that raw meat in my house. My husband and I are both long-time vegetarians and it would be a difficult adjustment. (I hate for that to be a concern, but it would bother me). If it was raw meat, I would also not want to feed them anything but organic.

Is there any pre-made product for dogs to supplement their kibble until I am ready to switch?? Bckrazy, I know you mentioned Steve's Real Food, are there other products like this? I have always thought about switching to a homemade diet, but have consoled myself with feeding better dog food, but this thread is making me want to improve their diet! Thanks in advance.

Oh yeah, does anyone here have cats that they also feed raw?

[wolfsoul]

Is there any pre-made product for dogs to supplement their kibble until I am ready to switch?? Bckrazy, I know you mentioned Steve's Real Food, are there other products like this?

Oh yeah, does anyone here have cats that they also feed raw?

There are tons of premade raw products that you can buy. The only downside is that they can be expensive, and there aren't alot suited for dogs like mine, who is on a prey-model diet. You can't feed it WITH the kibble -- but you can feed raw in the morning, and kibble at night, or whatever your schedule is with feeding. The problem is that raw and kibble are digested differently. Kibble is harder to digest and so it takes longer -- it can keep the raw back and let the bacteria in the raw affect the dog.

If you want to find some premade raw, look at small pet supply stores rather than big pet stores -- they typically have better foods than bigger companies. Also try finding a holistic vet in your area -- they may sell premade raw as well.

Here are some premade products. You may be able to ask them if there are any stores in your area selling their produicts, or it may even be listed on the website.

Nature's Variety Frozen Raw
Jake And Daisy's Raw Pet Food
Top Hand Pets Go Raw Oma's Pride
Bravo! Raw Diet

These are the only ones I know of. Nature's Link unfortunatly went out of business, which is unfortunate because they were based right here in Kelowna.

I fed my cat raw (he lives with my mom now and eats kibble). He loved it and was much thinner than he is now. The litterbox was also a much easier task.

[bckrazy]

Yep, call around to local pet stores/whole food stores to see if any of them carry good pre-made brands Steve's Real Food is one of the best available in my area, and the cheapest. It's about $2.50/lb. I'm just using it mostly as a start to raw, because it does contain 5% grain and 5% veggies, along with bones and supplements, so it's pretty much all-in-one. I've been giving him RMB's a few days a week too, hopefully I'll be able to just feed the premade occasionally, as regular organic meat costs a lot less!

I'm also a vegetarian, but when it gets down to it, I have no problem feeding my dog animal meat because that's what is healthiest for him! It's also a lot better to give them meat that you prepare and that is organic rather than feeding kibble that has meat from who-knows-where.

[Giselle]

There's also:
FarMore Dog Food
BARF patties

You can also feed a dehydrated raw food like the Honest Kitchen

In all honesty, I think you'd feel better knowing what exactly goes into your dog's food and where it comes from. Kibble companies obtain their meat from factories and certainly not organic farms like you and I might prefer. Of course, there are exceptions like Karma and Artemis who claim to be certified organic, but these kibbles can be difficult to find and quite pricy. Although you'll have to deal with raw flesh and blood (and while it may be against your principles), your pups could actually be eating in a more eco-friendly manner when you're feeding raw VS. kibble. Some food for thought